A team of divers came across a 162-year-old bottle of Guinness while exploring a shipwreck off the UK coast – and there’s a possibility the stout could still be drinkable.
Stefan Panis, an underwater photographer from Belgium, was stunned when he discovered the glass bottle in the wreckage of the Mindoro in the English Channel last year.
“I resurfaced and the top of the bottle was super clear, and I was really amazed to see ‘Guinness Extra Stout London,’ Panis, 47, told Inc.
“I was like, ‘Wow this is amazing.’”
The bottle was found in the boat’s cargo. Panis and fellow diver Eddie Huzzie, 68, then sent samples from the 19th century bottle to microbiologists at the research university KU Leuven in Belgium.
“There is always a chance that we can recover the complete DNA, and then we can do a small re-brew of the exact beer that was found in the 1860s,” he told the BBC.
Panis, who admitted he’s not a huge fan of the stout, said the contents of the bottle might still be drinkable – but he’s waiting for the analysis first.
“There is a possibility that it’s still drinkable,” he said. “The question is if the sea water has come into the bottles through the corks.
“If not, most likely the beer will still be drinkable.”
He revealed that he would take a sip of the stout if he’s given the green light to taste it.
He suspects there may be more than one bottle hiding within the wreckage of the barque, which sank three miles off the coast of Dover, England, on Nov. 27 1864 after colliding with the Khersonese, a sailing ship.
“Seeing the size of the case, I think it is definitely a case of 24 bottles,” he told the BBC.
“But there might be more cases.”
Panis also contacted Diageo – the company which makes Guinness – and a spokesperson for the organization said, “Discoveries like this provide a fascinating window into our past and help build a deeper understanding of our heritage.
“Currently, our Guinness Archive team is liaising with the divers to gather more information and evaluate the find.”
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